According to NHTSA, more than one-third (39%) of children 14 and younger who died in crashes in 2022 in cars, vans and SUVs were unbuckled. As EMS clinicians, you care for these children and know the devastation their parents and families experience.

That’s why keeping children safe while traveling is a top priority not just for parents and caregivers, but also for first responders. Child Passenger Safety Week—held this year from September 15 to 21—is a great opportunity to share safety information across your community and to encourage more people, not just new parents, to participate in National Seat Check Saturday on September 21.

You’ll find materials in English and Spanish at the link below, all designed to help your community partners and families understand how important proper child restraints and the correct installation of car seats are in saving children’s lives. NHTSA estimates that since 1975, restraints have saved the lives of 11,606 children under the age of 5.